Facebook Prevents COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

Labeling False Information Posts Based on WHO Data
Mark Zuckerberg CEO "Will Help Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Information"

▲Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook [Image source=AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Facebook, the world's largest social networking service (SNS), has decided to attach labels indicating reliable information on posts to prevent false information related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the AP News on the 15th (local time), Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, announced this policy through his account, stating, "Facebook is launching a global initiative to help access information about the COVID-19 vaccine."

The policy disclosed by Facebook applies not only to Facebook but also to its affiliate Instagram. According to the policy, Facebook will attach labels to posts related to the COVID-19 vaccine to indicate whether the information is false. This is based on information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and will be provided in five languages, including English. There are plans to offer the service in other languages in the coming weeks.

Zuckerberg explained, "For example, posts discussing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that are still in the safety and efficacy testing phase before approval will be labeled."

Additionally, users will be provided with information about vaccination locations and times.

Until now, Facebook has been criticized for allowing false posts that incite refusal of vaccination to spread unchecked.

A representative from the civic group 'Digital Hate Response Center' stated, "Facebook's announcement is far from sufficient to resolve the crisis related to vaccine refusal," and insisted that strong measures to delete false information are necessary.

In response, Facebook announced that last month, by expanding the list of prohibited false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, it additionally deleted 2 million pieces of content on Facebook and Instagram.

Chris Cox, Facebook Chief Product Officer (CPO), said, "We take false claims about COVID-19 very seriously," and added, "The best thing we can do is to post authoritative information in a useful way and engage in conversations with health experts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.